Rebirth: I'm a Daddy's Darling in the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 29 Having a Troubled Younger Brother Will Make You Age Prematurely

With Yinzhuo, such a blabbermouth, making jokes and joking around, the heavy work didn't seem so boring. Although Yinzhen said he didn't want to deal with this troublesome younger brother, after he finished his work, he saw that there was still a lot of empty space on Yinzhuo's side, so he went over and helped him. Of course, Yinti and Yinreng didn't rest after they finished their work either. Whether it was Yinqi, Yinyou, or even Yinsi, these three still had quite a few empty spaces.

Fortunately, with everyone's concerted efforts, they managed to plant the rice seedlings on the small plot of land that Kangxi had allocated to them before sunset.

"You all did a great job today. Brothers should support each other and help each other out like this... Alright, you've all had a long day. Go back and rest early. Make sure to have the leech bites treated when you get back. Don't neglect them just because you're tired."

What Emperor Kangxi most wanted to see was that his sons could be brothers and get along harmoniously. He was obviously very satisfied with his sons' performance today. He was so happy that he couldn't help but want to say more. But after only a few words, he saw the tired look on his sons' faces and felt sorry for them. So he simply ended the conversation and sent them back to rest.

Except for Crown Prince Yinreng, all the brothers now live in the Southern Three Palaces. After saying goodbye to Yinreng after leaving the Qianqing Palace, they naturally went back together. At this moment, Yinzu felt as if his legs were filled with lead, and it was very difficult to lift his legs. When he saw Yinzhi and Yinzhen walking beside him, he hesitated for a moment but still shamelessly went over and grabbed the two of them.

"Third brother, fourth brother, please have some compassion and lend your little brother a hand. I really can't walk anymore."

Yinzhi and Yinzhen wanted to lend him a hand, but they were both in dire straits, barely able to save themselves. Even if they wanted to, they were powerless to do so.

"You're so lazy and don't exercise properly. Now look what's happened. You're not even as good as your fifth or seventh brother, let alone the youngest, the eighth brother. Look at him, he can still walk on his own. You can't even walk. Don't make things difficult for your third and fourth brothers. They can't carry you. It'll have to be your eldest brother, me, who will help you."

Although Yinti often teased his younger brother, Yinzuo, he took great care of him. When Yinzuo was young, he was quite afraid of his older brother Yinti because of his overthinking and wanted to run away whenever he saw him. However, Yinti had a silver tongue and had developed a thick skin in his previous life, so he could say anything to coax people.

In addition, people felt great sympathy for him because Kangxi used him as a target. Even though Yinzhuo had been favored by Kangxi over the years, and compared to those who rarely saw their fathers without an imperial edict, he went to the Qianqing Palace as often as if he were going home, people actually liked this sweet-talking brother, apart from making a few sarcastic remarks. In short, there was envy and jealousy, but no hatred.

Yinzhuo wasn't embarrassed at all being carried around like a chick by Yinti. On the contrary, he was happy that he didn't have to walk. He thought that it was already the 29th year of Kangxi's reign, and in a few months his father would start to deal with that old bastard Galdan. Yinzhuo remembered watching the Kangxi Dynasty before. He thought that Yinti, as Kangxi's eldest son, had gone to war with the army and had been captured by Galdan. Thinking that his elder brother had been good to him, he couldn't help but remind him.

“Brother, a few days ago I went to the Qianqing Palace to see Father Khan. I happened to run into Uncle Prince Yu and several Grand Councilors coming out. They were discussing something and didn’t notice I was nearby. I overheard a few words. That old bastard Galdan seems to be causing trouble lately, frequently making small moves. Father Khan probably can’t tolerate it anymore. If this war really breaks out, Father Khan will probably send you to the battlefield to gain some experience. But as I said before, swords have no eyes on the battlefield. If you ever go there, please remember not to pursue a defeated enemy. Nothing is more important than your safety. I don’t want to see you get hurt…”

Yinzhuo's words not only startled Yinti, but also made Yinzhi and the others stop in their tracks. Yinzhen even scolded Yinzhuo.

"Nonsense! How can you talk about what happened in the Qianqing Palace? If Father Khan finds out, have you thought about what will happen to you?"

Faced with Yinzhen's harsh words, Yinzuo naturally knew that he was doing it for his own good, so he struggled slightly to get Yinti to let go of him, walked over and patted his shoulder to comfort him.

"Fourth Brother, there's no need to be so nervous. Father knows about this. I told him what I had overheard when I entered the Qianqing Palace that day. Since Father didn't tell me not to tell anyone, I suppose he didn't intend to hide it from anyone. Besides, I was just worried that my eldest brother might not be careful enough on his first time on the battlefield, so I was just giving him a heads-up."

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, Yinzhen felt extremely annoyed and couldn't help but raise his hand and give him a loud flick on the forehead.

"Use your brain! You're worried that your elder brother won't be steady enough on the battlefield? You should worry about yourself instead. From now on, you'd better keep your mouth shut. You're not allowed to talk about anything that happens in the Qianqing Palace, understand?"

Yinzhen felt he was worrying himself sick over his troublesome younger brother. Then, in that instant, Yinzhen belatedly realized that his relationship with Yinzuo had become less like that of brothers and more like that of father and son. He had even become accustomed to taking it upon himself to discipline his younger brother. This habit... sigh... let it be.

At this moment, Yinzhuo was completely unaware of what Yinzhen was thinking. If he had known, he would probably have been so happy he would have fallen asleep and slapped his thigh in delight. Wasn't this exactly what he had initially wanted? Although Yinzhen was not a petty person, he was clear about his likes and dislikes and had a strong sense of responsibility. Once someone was considered one of his own, he would treat them with utmost sincerity. He loved them so much that he wished them life, and hated them so much that he wished them death. That was the epitome of him.

"What do you mean by 'grow your brain'? My fourth brother knows I've always been quite sharp, right? Besides, I'm not stupid. I know what I should say, what I shouldn't say, what I can say, and what I can't say."

With the brothers deliberately avoiding and ignoring him, everyone quickly returned to normal. Yinti continued to lift Yinzuo up and pull him along, but his movements were gentler than before.

"Although I don't know if Father will send me to the battlefield, I will remember what Sixth Brother said. Thank you for reminding me, Sixth Brother."

Upon arriving at the South Third Courtyard, everyone naturally bid each other farewell and went home to their respective families. However, Yinti and Yinzhen were not in a hurry to return. Instead, they followed Yinzuo all the way back to his own courtyard. Everyone had been deliberately trying to forget and avoid what Yinzuo had said earlier. Only when the three of them were left did Yinti speak up to thank Yinzuo.

"Brother, there's no need to thank me, and you don't need to take it to heart. You're my older brother, and you've always been good to me. Of course, I don't want anything to happen to you. You've been busy all day, and you must be tired. Go back and rest."

After Yinti left, only Yinzhen and Yinzuo remained. Yinzuo knew that his fourth brother probably had something to tell him, which was why he followed him. He was tired after a long day and didn't want to listen to his lecture, so he quickly spoke up and made a solemn promise before Yinti could.

"Fourth Brother, I promise I'll keep my mouth shut from now on. I won't let a single word slip out. I'm really tired today, let's go back and rest, okay?"

Seeing him like this, Yinzhen naturally couldn't bear to nag him anymore. He sighed helplessly, thinking that with such a troublesome younger brother, he would age prematurely sooner or later. Fine, but what could he do? This was his own brother. Knowing that this person was unreliable, he would have to keep a closer eye on him in the future.

"Okay, I won't nag you anymore. You're used to being lazy, and I don't know if your body can handle this kind of high-intensity work. I hope you don't get sick. Alright, you've had a long day, go and rest early. I'm going back now."

Yin Zuo thought that Yin Zhen's worries were all unfounded. Although he was lazy and always slacked off in riding and archery lessons, and his grades were so-so, he was not so useless that he would give up after working for a day.